At least 675 Pakistani women and girls were murdered during the first nine months of the year for allegedly defaming their family’s honour, a leading human rights group said Tuesday.
Despite some progress on better protecting women’s rights, activists say the government needs to do far more to prosecute murderers in cases largely dismissed by police as private, family affairs.
“A total of 675 women and girls were killed in the name of honour across Pakistan from January to September,” a senior official in the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan told AFP.
They included at least 71 victims under the age of 18.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is unauthorised to speak to the media, said figures were still being compiled from October to December, and that a full report would be released in February.
The Commission reported 791 honour killings in 2010 and there was no discernible decrease this year, the official added.
Around 450 of the women killed from January to September were accused of having “illicit relations” and 129 of marrying without permission.
Some victims were raped or gangraped before being killed, he said. At least 19 were killed by their sons, 49 by their fathers and 169 by their husbands.
Rights groups say the government should do more to ensure that women subject to violence, harassment and discrimination have effective access to justice.
Ali Dayan Hasan, Pakistan director at Human Rights Watch, told AFP that the state’s inability to enforce rule of law, leaving matters in the hands of tribesmen and local elders, was a major factor.
“We have a system in Pakistan where the state and judicial recourse are absent and the vacuum is filled by local elders,” he said.
“A combination of legal reforms, exercise of administrative authority and social awareness can greatly help check the honour killings,” he added.
Earlier this month, a Belgian court sentenced four members of a Pakistani family to prison for the murder of their daughter and sister, who defied them by living with a Belgian man and refusing an arranged marriage.
there are some things that are done wrong..but the things are necessity if the things arent done then every girl will act like a slut
This issue will not resolve unless the masses will not be given the rule of Allah, which doesn't even allow to hit woman with anything but toothbrush in severe situations which is symbolic and people can only learn this if they would be given Islamic education not islamiyat book text.
Seriously we need to be abit more broad minded before we make judgements. Honor killing in most of the case is done if a girl or boy is found to have likings for each other, or if they get married without the will of their family member (which our religion gives liberty), which also doesn't mean that they are involved in illegal relations.
this is seriously unbelievable i mean God created woman from the side of a man, near his heart to be loved and under his arm to be protected, not from the feet to be walked upon neither from the head to be superior and rule over him…but alas in this man dominating society, this lack of respect, discrimination, and uncivil behaviour cannot be eradicated permanently!!
@anam tanveer wow in ur dp is it ur husband? i thought it wrong and almost every one else does…lets not make america out of pakistan i have seen what things get out of these things belive me
inhumans , hypocrites …mulims have lost there core values sick
Someone mentioned woman being born from side of woman, these are the thing kept us away from our goal of Islamic state. These things in Islamic research called israiliyat And doesn't mean anything on top of Allah command where husband at max can only symbolically beat wife n when asked for details, Rasool Allah companion said beaten with miswak (toothbrush). For some reason it's thought to be western but Islamic way is if two people don't like to live with each other, let them separate
This is a very sad statement on life in Pakistan. Civilized nations separate religion from state. These nations also enforce the law of the land. The laws of the land (nation) are not twisted or ignored to cater to any religious group.
Honour killings are a crime against the individual, the family, the community, the nation and should be severely punished through the "law of the land."
Pakistan needs to bring their males into the 21st century!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Waseem: Let them be. I am not here to answer anyone accept my parents and almighty.
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